Pressure plate for cleaning carpeting with surface working pad

ABSTRACT

Improvements in the use of floor cleaning equipment utilizing the weight of the equipment to apply pressure to a worked surface through a surface working pad which is moved by the machine. Heretofore, if one were to attempt to use such machines on carpeting with surface working pads which are normally used for cleaning hard surfaces, e.g. nylon pads, the pads would remain stationary with respect to the carpet and the machine would move. For example, a rotary machine would rotate with enough force, in some instances, to throw an operator around with it. By this invention, open non-woven three-dimensional web material surface working pads are readily adapted for use in carpet cleaning with such equipment. This is achieved through positioning of a novel article of manufacture, consisting of smooth stiff pressure plate means, on the working face of the surface working pad, leaving a margin of the pad exposed at the periphery for acting upon a carpet or rug.

United States Patent Young Oct. 17, 1972 PRESSURE PLATE FOR CLEANING CARPETING WITH SURFACE WORKING PAD [72] Inventor: Edward G. Young, Gloucester,

Mass. A

[73] Assignee: Beatrice Foods Co., Chicago, I11.

[221 Filed: March 31,1971

1211 Appl. No: 129,896

[52] U.S. Cl ..l5/230, 15/257 [51] Int. Cl. ..A47l 11/283 158] Field of Search 1 5/247, 246, 230.16, 230.19,

230.12; 24/205 B, 205 D, 91, 3 R, 3 D

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,302,232 2/1967 Wasiloff et al ..15/230.17

Primary Examiner-Leon G. Machlin Attorney-Greist, Lockwood, Greenawalt & Dewey [57] ABSTRACT Improvements in the use of floor cleaning equipment utilizing the weight of the equipment to apply pressure to a worked surface through a surface working pad which is moved by the machine. Heretofore, if one were to attempt to use such machines on carpeting with surface working pads which are normally used for cleaning hard surfaces, e.g. nylon pads, the pads would remain stationary with respect to the carpet and the machine would move. For example, a rotary machine would rotate with enough force, in some instances, to throw an operator around with it. By this invention, open non-woven three-dimensional web material surface working pads are readily adapted for use in carpet cleaning with such equipment. This is achieved through positioning of a novel article of manufacture, consisting of smooth stiff pressure plate means, on the working face of the surface working pad, leaving a margin of the pad exposed at the periphery for acting upon a carpet or rug.

5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDum 11 I972 3.698.032

INVENTOR EDWARD G. YOUNG PRESSURE PLATE FOR CLEANING CARPETING WITI-l SURFACE WORKING PAD This invention relates to innovations and improvements in the use of open non-woven three-dimensional web material surface working pads whereby such pads are used for cleaning carpets and rugs. These innovations and improvements are made possible by a novel article of manufacture which is used in combination with the pads.

The present invention is particularly suited for use with floor maintenance machines such as those used for performing scrubbing, stripping and buffing or polishing operations on floor surfaces of various types. The present invention is of particular utility in connection with electrically operated, heavy duty machines used professionally in the maintenance of floors in non-residential buildings such as schools, office buildings, airports, hospitals, and the like. Until a few years ago such floor maintenance machines utilized pads formed of steel wool for performing scrubbing and stripping operations, and these machines utilized brushes or pads formed of felt for buffing and polishing. In recent years, the so-called nylon floor pads, which include the abrasive types for stripping and scrubbing, and non-abrasive type for buffing and polishing, and more recently, a type for spray-system maintenance, have come into extensive use.

These pads are formed of uniform, lofty, open, nonwoven, three-dimensional web or bat material formed of many interlaced, randomly extending, flexible, durable, tough, resilient, bonded plastic fibers, e.g., nylon fibers. The art of and equipment for manufacturing such floor pads of nylon or other synthetic resins or fibers are highly developed. Such floor pads can be made either with felt-containing deposits of abrasive materials having varying degrees of harshness or aggressiveness for scrubbing and stripping operations or without any abrasive for buffing and polishing operations. Nylon is a preferred material from which to form such floor pads because of its excellent resistance to wear, water-resistance, and competitive cost. However, other synthetic materials may be used such as polyester resins, and blends of resin fibers. Natural fibers such as cattle and hog hair can be utilized. Synthetic floor pads of the type mentioned are commercially available from several sources and are described in several patents including: Maisel U.S. Pat. No. 2,784,132; l-loover et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,958,593; Haywood U.S. Pat. No.

3,016,295; and Kamp et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,020,l39.

Various means have been used for releasably attaching such surface working pads to the driving discs of floor machines. In some instances pads with a center hole were required, and in some other instances small diameter clamping discs would fit underneath the center of the steel wool or nylon floor pad and mechanically retain it in place by means of a center screw or other fastening means. in some instances driving discs or plates which were provided for floor machines were of-a type comprising a flexible backing layer and a resilient layer having a multitude of resilient protuberances which penetrate into the steel wool or nylon floor pad under the weight of the floor machine. The penetrating action of these protuberances serve to fix the pad with respect to the driving disc to drive the floor pads as long as the weight of the floor machine is maintained thereon.

The surface working pads of the type described hereinbefore are to be found in extensive use in stripping, cleaning, buffing, and polishing hard floor surfaces of various kinds. Heretofore, such pads have not been found satisfactory or useful for use in cleaning carpets, rugs, and the like. Nonetheless, carpets, rugs, and the like are being used extensively in various public and commercial buildings, e.g., libraries, restaurants, salesrooms, schools, etc. It would be highly desirable to provide a method and equipment for cleaning such rugs which utilize presently available hard floor surface cleaning machines. It would also be highly desirable to provide an inexpensive article of manufacture for readily adapting a mechanized floor cleaner machine, of the type described hereinbefore, for use in cleaning carpets, rugs, and the like. Furthermore, it would be highly desirable to provide such a method and apparatus which achieves such conversion without the use of any tools whatsoever. It would be highlydesirable to provide such an article of manufacture which would be inexpensive to manufacture, have no moving parts, which would be readily stored, and which would be unaffected by wet or dry operations. it would be highly desirable to provide a converted mechanized floor working machine which is suitable for use in conjunction with a wide variety of commercially available rug and carpet cleaning formulations for the purpose of cleaning rugs, carpets, and the like, including indooroutdoor carpets.

These, and other objects which will be apparent hereinafter, are all achieved in accordance with this invention which is disclosed and described in general hereinafter and which is described in connection with preferred embodiments in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a partially cut-away elevational side view of a driving disc and surface working pad equipped on its bottom surface with a pressure-plate in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. I;

FlG. 3 is a plan view of the upper adhering surface pressure-plate shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional view of a portion of the pressure-plate and pad taken approximately along the line 44 of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, brush block 10, is equipped with a driving disc 11 adapted for use with a floor machine of known type (not shown) which utilizes the weight of the machine to apply pressure on a surface being worked through a surface-working element which is moved by the machine. Disc 11 is shown in the position normally occupied in use. Driving disc 11 comprises a rigid backing plate 12 which may be cut, formed or molded of fiber, particle board, flake board, hard board (e.g. Masonite), wood, plastic or metal. Hard board or compressed board of the type commercially available under the proprietary name Masonite serves very well for the rigid backing support 12 and is inexpensive, thereby helping to minimize the cost of driving disc I l.

Preferably, the entire undersurface of backing member 12 is covered with a layer of spongy or resilient material of appreciable thickness, e.g., threeeighths inch, as indicated at 14. Sponge rubber serves very well as the spongy or resilient layer 14. Other resilient or spongy materials could be used such as various foams or standard plastic materials which are commercially available. Preferably the surface of spongy layer 14 offers considerable friction, so that with the weight of the floor machine on it, layer 14 serves to grip and help to drive the floor pad 20. The spongy layer 14 is suitably secured to the surface of the rigid backing member 12 by an appropriate adhesive of permanent type.

To the exposed or unadhered lower surface of resilient layer 14 of driving disc 11, a pattern of flexible facing material is adhered in the form of a number of substantially identical pieces 16. These flexible, identical facing pieces 16 are formed so that the exposed surfaces thereof provide a multitude of projecting tiny resilient surface loop or hook-shaped filaments 18. Flexible facing strips, tape, or other material of this type are commercially available in various forms under the proprietary name VELCRO." Various forms of such flexible facing materials and techniques of producing the same are disclosed in US. Pat. Nos. 2,717,437; 3,009,235; 3,083,737; 3,1 14,959; 3,l36,026; 3,147,528; and 3,l54,837. The protruding hooks or severed loops similar to hooks 18 are indicated as having a textile or fabric layer 16 from which the tiny hooks or severed loops protrude. The hooks or loops are generally arranged in rows extending transversely across the pieces of tape or facing material 16. The loops are generally arranged in a row oriented in the same direction, each hook being cut from a loop. it is highly desirable that on an overall basis hooks or loops be oriented in a plurality of directions. The pieces l6 are suitably adhered or bonded to flexible layer 14 in a permanent manner. However, it is not essential that the filaments have hooks because any adhering configuration will be satisfactory for use in this invention. For example, a facing material having extending filaments with knobs or balls at the end thereof will also serve to penetrate the open pads and to adequately engage the fibers thereof. Methods of providing knobs or balls at the tips of such filaments, e.g., as in a brush, are known, and some include melting just the tips of the secured filaments to form an integral head at the tip of each filament. The term multitude appears in the specification and claims with respect to the number of pad-engaging filaments. It is to be understood as signifying a number which is effective to secure or fix bonded adjacent faces to each other with respect to forces exerted along the plane of the faces.

Other means can be employed to secure pad 20 to driving disc 1]. ln FIG. I a single surface working pad 20 is shown held in position by filaments 18 on adhering backing material 16. In a copending patent application by Edward G. Young and Howard W. Heggem, which application is assigned to a common assignee with this application, discloses the use of a number of working pads 20 stacked pancake fashion. Pads 20, in the embodiment illustrated herein, are nylon floor pads formed of uniform, lofty, open, non-woven, threedimensional web or bat material formed of many interlaced, randomly extending, flexible, durable, tough, resilient bonded nylon fibers. It is to be understood, however, that pads 20 can be of the type described in the early part of the specification and can be specifically fabricated to provide varying degrees of harshness for scrubbing or stripping operations or without any abrasive for polishing or buffing operations.

Conventionally, a single surface working pad 20 is directly adhered to facing material 16 and is held in place by a loop or hook-shaped filament. The tiny loop or hook-shaped or other-shaped adhering filament penetrate into the open lofty structure of floor pad 20 to serve to hook under, and otherwise adhere to, one or more of the various random interlaced fibers or filaments. The action of these filamentary hooks has been likened to that of a Burdock burr clinging to fabric or animal fur or hair. The total force required to detach or shift a floor pad all at once in an axial direction from the multitudinal hooks provided by facing material 16, or to slide pad 20 in a direction which is parallel to the face of facing material 16, would be considerable. Nonetheless it is possible to readily peel a floor pad 20 off from one of the driving discs 10 simply by starting at one edge and gently peeling it therefrom, just as a piece of adhesive tape is peeled off or removed from the skin.

in accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention, a pressure-plate generally indicated at 25 (see FIG. 3) is placed over the exposed or lower face 22 of surface working pad 20, as indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2. Pressure-plate 25 includes a relatively thin, rigid main body portion 27 having a smooth non-adhering lower face 29 and a plurality of patches of facing material 30 permanently adhered to its upper face 32. Patches of facing material 30 (e.g. VELCRO" tape) can be substantially identical to facing material 16 described in connection with FIG. 1. ln the illustrated preferred embodiment facing material 30 is provided in the form of elongated strips permanently adhering to the upper surface 32 of pressure-plate 25. Hooks 34 extending from material 30 penetrate the exposed surface of pad 20 under the weight of the machine (not shown) and pad-holding disc 10. The action of hooks 34 is substantially identical to the action of hooks 18 described hereinbefore.

When the terms upper and lower" are used in this specification, for example, in connection with a surface or face of pressure plate 25, the terms are intended to refer to the relative position when the assembly is in normal operating position, for example, to the respective surfaces of pressure plate 25 when pressure plate 25 is in operating position as indicated in FIG. 1.

When the term stiff" is used herein to describe pressure plate 25, it is intended to mean that plate 25 cannot be bent or folded by forces encountered in its use. Sheets of tough material which can be readily deformed are not suitable for use in accordance with this invention. The lower surface 29 of pressure-plate 25 is smooth, hard, and non-adhering. Pressure-plate 25 can be made of any stiff, smooth, abrasion resistant material, e.g., a sheet of vinyl or nylon one-eighth inch thick. Composition board, metal, e.g., aluminum, plastics, and other materials and laminates can be used to manufacture pressure-plate means 25, provided body portion 27 is stiff, as defined herein, and lower face 29 is smooth and essentially non-adhering to carpeting.

ln its broadest concept, this invention comprises adhering a thin, smooth faced, stiff pressure-plate in faceto-face relationship on a surface working pad formed of open non-woven three-dimensional web material wherein the relative dimensions of the surface working pad and pressure plate leaves a margin of the pad exposed at the periphery for engaging the carpet or rug. surface. The plate is thus positioned between most of the pad and the floor.

There are several variables, however, that can be used to get different types of adjustment and action. One variable is the overhang, that is, the width of the annular margin 40 between the edge 42of pressureplate 25 and the edge 44 of surface working pad 20. A second variable, of course, is the type of pad 20. Ashdicated above pads 20 are available in a variety of thicknesses, and with a variety of abrasion characteristics. A third variable is the thickness of the pressure plate 25. In this connection, if a thicker pressure plate is used, it still penetrates slightly into pad 20 forcing a portion 48 of pad 20 around edge 42 of pressureplate 25 as suggested in FIG. 4. In this connection it is noted that, for a given nylon pad, pressure-plate 25 penetrates slightly into the pad 20 the same distance whether plate 25 is relatively thick or relatively thin. However, when pressure-plate 25 is thicker, it tends to lift the annular margin 40 somewhat off of the carpet or rug thereby providing a somewhat more gentle action.

The pressure-plate 25 of this invention can be used with any type of carpet cleaning technique or materials such as aerosol-dispensed carpet cleaning agents. In this case the carpet cleaning agent will dry or crystallize after application and after being worked with the carpet-cleaning machine converted in accordance with this invention, and will dry or crystallize prior to removal by vacuuming. The adapted apparatus of this invention as shown in FIG. I can be used simply dry as a pile lifter or agitator followed by vacuuming.

Thus as the janitor works over a wide ranging work area with a surface working machine he can carry one or more pressure plates 25 with him for instantaneous conversion of the machine for cleaning carpets. When he encounters a piece or patch of carpet or rug that needs cleaning, he simply tips cleaning disc it) away from the floor (not shown) and places disc 25 centrally over the exposed surface of pad 20 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. When the working face 29 of the pressure plate and margin 22 of the pad are lowered to position on carpeting, the driving disc 11 and the attached elements rotate, or otherwise move with the disc 11, and the machine handles in the same manner as on a hard surface with pad 20 alone.

This invention can be used for cleaning any type of carpet or rug ranging from indoor-outdoor carpets which are in the nature ofa felt, to shag rugs, etc. When cleaning a badly soiled indoor-outdoor carpet it may be necessary to use a relatively more abrasive floor pad, e.g., the stripper" type floor pad. However, for most carpets and rugs the floor pad of the buffer" type is preferred for use with the pressure plate 25 in accordance with this invention.

When it is desired that the carpetcleaning apparatus of this invention be converted back to the conventional surface-working condition, the user merely tips the disc back away from the floor (not shown) to expose pressure plate 25, and the operator engages a portion of the edge 42 of pressure-plate 25 and peels pressure plate 25 away from the exposed lowermost surface 22.

Also, although the floor pad 25 in the illustrated preferred embodiment is circular and although the equipment described hereinbefore is of the type which rotates the surface working pad 20, the invention is not limited to the use of circular pads and pressure-plates or to the use of revolving equipment. In general a pressure plate 25 will have the same general shape as that of the surface-working pad 20 to which it is to be adhered, except that the dimensioning of the relatively smaller pressure-plate is such that a peripheral margin 40 extends beyond pressure-plate 25. Thus, pads 20 and pressure-plate 25 can be circular, square, rectangular, etc. However, for use in equipment in which the surface working pad 20 is rotated, circular pressure plates are to be employed. Nonetheless, for use of square or rectangular surface working pads and pressure plates, in accordance with this invention, oscillating or vibratory equipment can be employed.

Although a peripheral margin 40 is shown in the illustrated preferred embodiment, it is not essential that margin 40 be continuous in all embodiments of this invention. For example, it is contemplated that in combinations of this invention which utilize oscillating or vibrating equipment, and square or rectangular surface working pads, pads 20 and pressure-plates 25 are square, or rectangular. It is contemplated that some embodiments will utilize rectangular pressure-plates 25 which extend completely across a square or rectangular surface-working pad 20 so that a margin 40 is provided only at the front and rear edges of the surface-working pad. in all preferred embodiments, however, an edge of pressure-plate 25 will be parallel to its associated edge of pad 20.

[claim 1. As an article of manufacture, a circular pressure plate for use with a larger, open, non-woven, circular three-dimensional surface-working pad, said pressure plate comprising: a relatively thin, stiff, disc having one face which is smooth in its entirety, and having adhering means on the other face thereof for adhering said plate to said pad in face-to-face relation, said adhering means being permanently adhered to said other face of said disc, said adhering means providing a multitude of projecting pad-engaging filaments.

2. The article of manufacture of claim 1 wherein said adhering means comprises hook-providing sheet of VELCRO".

3. In an apparatus for cleaning carpets and rugs comprising a relatively stiff backing plate, a flexible backing member permanently adhered to the underside of said backing plate, said backing member having permanently adhered to the lower face thereof facing material; said apparatus also including a surface working pad formed of open non-woven three-dimensional web material adhering to said facing material, said facing material including a multitude of pad-engaging filaments; thereby providing an exposed face of said surface-working pad; the improvement wherein said apparatus includes: a pressure plate including a thin stiff body portion having an exposed smooth abrasion-resistant face, and having attaching means for releasably connecting said pressure plate to a portion of the exposed face of the surface-working pad, said connecting means comprising backing material providing a plurality of web-engaging filaments for extending into and engaging said working pad, wherein the dimensioning of the surfacenworking pad and the pressure plate provides a peripheral margin around the pressure plate.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein the surface working pad and the pressure plate are circular, and wherein the connecting means comprises strips of VELCRO" permanently adhered to an inner surface of the pressure plate.

5. For use in a surface working machine in which the weight of the machine is utilized to apply pressure on a surface-working element which is moved by the machine, the combination wherein the surface-working element includes a pad in combination with a pressure plate; the pad being an open, non-woven, three-dimensional surface-working pad, positioned to contact a surface to be worked, the pressure plate being positioned between said pad and said surface, said pressure plate comprising a relatively thin, stiff, smooth-faced disc having adhering means for adhering said plate to said pad, said adhering means being permanently adhered to the back of said disc, said adhering means providing a multitude of projecting pad-engaging filaments, said plate being smaller than the pad to provide a margin between an edge of the plate and an edge of said pad.

i t i \I 

1. As an article of manufacture, a circular pressure plate for use with a larger, open, non-woven, circular three-dimensional surface-working pad, said pressure plate comprising: a relatively thin, stiff, disc having one face which is smooth in its entirety, and having adhering means on the other face thereof for adhering said plate to said pad in face-to-face relation, said adhering means being permanently adhered to said other face of said disc, said adhering means providing a multitude of projecting pad-engaging filaments.
 2. The article of manufacture of claim 1 wherein said adhering means comprises hook-providing sheet of ''''VELCRO''''.
 3. In an apparatus for cleaning carpets and rugs comprising a relatively stiff backing plate, a flexible backing member permanently adhered to the underside of said backing plate, said backing member having permanently adhered to the lower face thereof facing material; said apparatus also including a surface working pad formed of open non-woven three-dimensional web material adhering to said facing material, said facing material including a multitude of pad-engaging filaments; thereby providing an exposed face of said surface-working pad; the improvement wherein said apparatus includes: a pressure plate including a thin stiff body portion having an exposed smooth abrasion-resistant face, and having attaching means for releasably connecting said pressure plate to a portion of the exposed face of the surface-working pad, said connecting means comprising backing material providing a plurality of web-engaging filaments for extending into and engaging said working pad, wherein the dimensioning of the surface-working pad and the pressure plate provides a peripheral margin around the pressure plate.
 4. The combination of claim 3 wherein the surface working pad and the pressure plate are circular, and wherein the connecting means comprises strips of ''''VELCRO'''' permanently adhered to an inner surface of the pressure plate.
 5. For use in a surface working machine in which the weight of the machine is utilized to apply pressure on a surface-working element which is moved by the machine, the combination wherein the surface-working element includes a pad in combination with a pressure plate; the pad being an open, non-woven, three-dimensional surface-working pad, positioned to contact a surface to be worked, the pressure plate being positioned between said pad and said surface, said pressure plate comprising a relatively thin, stiff, smooth-faced disc having adhering means for adhering said plate to said pad, said adhering means being permanently adhered to the back of said disc, said adhering means providing a multitude of projecting pad-engaging filaments, said plate being smaller than the pad to provide a margin between an edge of the plate and an edge of said pad. 